In December 2020, the world became enthralled with the glamour, poise and gossip of London’s elite with the release of Netflix’s “Bridgerton.” It quickly became a sensation, making it Netflix’s most-watched series (until “Squid Game” replaced it in October 2021). On March 25, Netflix released the highly anticipated second season.
The series is set in London during the Regency era, specifically following its high society known as “the ton.” The first season follows the wealthy Bridgerton family as their eldest daughter, Daphne, enters society looking to find a husband, which she finds in the Duke of Hastings.
As their relationship forms, “the ton” is also surprised by the appearance of an anonymous newsletter from an unknown woman who goes by the name of “Lady Whistledown.” Intent on revealing everyone’s deepest darkest secrets, Lady Whistledown becomes the talk of the town. Suddenly, everyone starts wondering who the woman behind the pen might be.
Season two follows Daphne’s brother, Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey), and newcomer Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley). Anthony decides that this season is his time to find a Viscountess so he can fully become the man of the household after his father’s passing. Kate, on the other hand, is adamant about never marrying and is instead in London to find the perfect, loving husband for her sister, Edwina. After overhearing Anthony talk about how he plans to marry only the best eligible lady of the season rather than marry for love, Kate becomes set on keeping him away from Edwina. Of course, what happens instead is they blur the lines between hate and love, unknowingly wanting each other from afar the entire season.
Because of their “hatred” for each other, the romance between Kate and Anthony was a slow burn. It’s impossible not to sit on the edge of your seat during any interaction between them, thinking, “Is this finally going to be the moment they get together?” While a slow burn is great, especially with the “enemies to lovers” arc, “Bridgerton” paced it poorly. Watching the season was like lighting a firework and waiting for it to burst into the most beautiful colors, only for it to spark a bit before fizzling out a second later. At times, it was hard to even imagine them getting together at all because of how long it was being dragged out. Until Anthony cried in front of his mother about Kate in the last episode, it was hard to even tell if he even loved her that much. When the two finally got together, there were only seven minutes left of the eight-episode season. The seven minutes they had together were underwhelming and made the whole season fall flat.
However, what makes “Bridgerton” so special is its ability to create a quality romance storyline without falling into the clichés that most modern-day romance movies and television shows often fall into. This isn’t to say that “Bridgerton” is perfect and never harps on outdone romance tropes. In fact, it’s hard to find a show that was able to cramp as many cliché storylines into two seasons as “Bridgerton” has. The first season gave viewers the classic “my brother’s best friend” plot, mixed with “fake engagement” and sprinkled with “enemies to lovers.” Now, with its new season, viewers see even more “enemies to lovers,” along with “in love with someone who’s already engaged.” Despite using every trick in the book, “Bridgerton” somehow gives a new life to a genre that has been beaten to death by studios. Watching Kate and Anthony’s relationship can make your heart race and can turn any love cynic into a true romantic.
What “Bridgerton” also does exceptionally well is casting insanely talented and gorgeous people who make London’s Regency period even more glamorous and beautiful. Season one blessed us with Regé-Jean Page, and they’ve done it again with Simone Ashley (“Sex Education”). Ashley was outstanding in the series and is sure to become a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood.
Another standout this season was Claudia Jessie, who plays Eloise Bridgerton, the rebellious Bridgerton daughter who detests the role that women are forced to play in society. In season one we catch glimpses of Eloise’s defiant attitude and desire to be her own person while also trying to uncover the identity of Lady Whistledown. In season two, Eloise really comes into her own as she finds herself and finds love while still on this quest to find Whistledown – who she eventually realizes is her closest friend, Penelope. Eloise is, by far, the most compelling character in this entire series. Jessie perfectly captures this struggle Eloise faces between living up to her mother’s expectations and forming an identity of her own.
While there isn’t a release date yet for the third season, it will surely bring as much drama, romance and rebellion as the first two seasons did. This season’s “Bridgerton” has once again proved that, while some shows may have settled for pandering audiences with poorly used clichés, quality romance is still alive and well in television.
